1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector apparatus of the type wherein a pair of connectors are removably connected to each other in a through-hole of a partition wall member such as a panel of an automobile or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A connector apparatus of the type wherein a pair of connectors are removably connected to each other in a through-hole of a partition wall member is already known and often employed in an automobile or the like. An exemplary one of such conventional connector apparatus is shown in FIG. 9.
Referring to FIG. 9, the connector apparatus shown includes a male connector 101 and a female connector 102 adapted to be fitted with and removed from each other in a first direction, i.e., in a vertical direction in FIG. 9, and a fixing frame member 103 having a rectangular through-hole 104 formed therein for engaging with outer faces of a pair of opposing side walls 105 of the female connector 102 to guide lateral movement of the female connector 102 in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Also the female connector 102 has a rectangular through-hole 106 formed therein for engaging with a pair of opposing faces 107 of the male connector 101 to guide movement of the male connector 101 in the second direction.
The male connector 101 has a pair of projections or pins 108 formed on the side faces 107 thereof while the female connector 102 has a pair of vertical slots 109 formed in the side walls 105 thereof such that they extend in the first direction from the top ends of the side walls 105 and receive therein the pins 108 of the male connector 101 when the male and female connectors 101 and 102 are fitted thoroughly with each other. The fixing frame member 103 has a pair of introducing grooves 110 formed on the inner sides of a pair of side walls 111 thereof for guiding the projections 108 of the male connector 101, and a pair of inclinded slots 112 formed contiguously to the introducing grooves 110 and obliquely to the first and second directions in the side walls 111 for receiving therein the projections 108 when the male and female connectors 101 and 102 are fitted thoroughly with each other.
Referring now to FIGS. 10a and 10b, the connector apparatus is secured, for example, to a panel 113 of an automobile or the like in the following manner. The female connector 102 is first fitted into the through-hole 104 of the fixing frame member 103 from above in FIG. 9. In the thus fitted condition, the female connector 102 can be moved in the second direction. Then, the fixing frame member 103 is secured to the panel 113 together with a grommet 114 by means of a plurality of bolts 115 and metal elements 116. In this condition, the male connector 101 is inserted into the through-hole 106 of the female connector 102 with the projections 108 thereof received into the slots 109 of the female connector 102 and and also into the introducing grooves 110 of the fixing frame member 103 until the projections 108 come to ends of the inclined slots 112 adjacent the introducing grooves 110 as seen in FIG. 10a.
Then, the male connector 101 is moved in the second direction, that is, in the rightward direction indicated by an arrow mark in FIG. 10b. Thereupon, the pins 108 are guided by the inclined slots 112 of the fixing frame member 103 so that the male connector 101 is moved also in the first direction and gradually fitted with the female connector 102. After such movement of the male connector 101, a grommet 117 is secured by means of bolts 118 and metal elements 119, thereby completing the fixation of the connector apparatus.
In this instance, even if leading-in of the male connector 101 is insufficient and built-in metal elements of the male and female connectors 101 and 102 do not contact thoroughly with each other, the grommet 117 can be fastened to the panel 113 by means such bolts 118 as seen in FIG. 10b. Consequently, even after completion of fixation of the connector apparatus, the metal elements of the male and female connectors 101 and 102 remain in an incompletely contacting condition with each other, which will cause an error of an electric circuit element connected to the connector apparatus.
On the other hand, the connector apparatus is advantageous in that the male and female connectors 101 and 102 can be operated perpendicularly to the first or connector fitting direction to fit or remove them with or from each other even where the spacing for the installation of the connectors 101 and 102 on the panel 113 is so limited in the first or connector fitting direction, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the panel 113, that it is difficult to perform a fitting or removing operation of the connectors 101 and 102. However, since the side walls 105 of the female connector 102 and the side walls 111 of the fixing frame member 103 are overlapped with each other, the connector apparatus has a comparatively great size in the overlapping direction of the side walls 105 and 111.